Why company reputation matters, and it starts with your brand.
While you can build and manage your brand, your reputation is based on what others think about you, your employees, and your product/services. When it is not intentionally built, it will build itself and will rarely be what you want. Your branding starts with your culture (internal brand) which drives your people who in turn drive your business. Unhappy employees usually cultivate unhappy customers.
“A brand is what a business does, reputation is what people remember” – Ted Rubin
Companies use defining terms when setting their company values and mission, words like “Boutique” “Excellence” “Guarantee” “Value”.
These promise words evoke powerful responses but if there is nothing behind them, they are meaningless and will result in the opposite of their intention.
Your branding is your promise to your customer and employees. Can you qualify or quantify what you are offering or claim to be? What separates you and makes you “boutique”? How do you back your “guarantee”? Can your employees define what “excellence” means?
Customer experience, employee engagement, and content visualization can help improve customer experience, boost brand awareness and reputation.
However, it is important to recognize that while you may have a solid marketing plan, your customer is no longer a passive party. They are not waiting for you to tell them, instead they are going to do their own research which is determined by your reputation and what others have said or feel about you.
When is the last time you looked at your reviews on Google, Glassdoor, Indeed, Facebook, Yelp? What is their research going to tell them about you?
A bad reputation is stronger than a good one, harder to change, and unfortunately the quickest and easiest to build. It is based on quality, good or bad – the quality of your employees, the quality of your product, and the quality of your customer experience.
It has been a year of unprecedented change and now more than ever, requires organizations to focus and rethink how their business operates and how they are serving their employees and customers.
It is time to start building your company’s reputation with intention and I can help! Check out my Consultation Services or simply message me!
Tamara Knapp Advisory LLC
Based in Novi, Michigan
Serving both startups and established clients.
Office: (248) 301-9699
Email: letsgo@tamaraknappadvisory.com
